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Saturday, May 25, 2013

Weekend inspiration

Some days being a vet, or being an anything, is just a hard slog and we need inspiration, motivation or just something from somewhere (and let's face it, most veterinary textbooks just don't deliver on this front, although there are a few exceptions I'll be discussing later).

So this is a quote from philosopher John Armstrong, in an exceptionally brilliant little book called How to Worry Less About Moneyof all things (and no, the following quote won't make you rich - not in the bank account sense anyway).

He writes:

“Doing valuable things doesn’t always feel good at the time.
You have to slog on, when you feel like giving up; risk annoying other people;
accept the anxieties that come with competition; put your soul into things that
might be rejected or are just plain difficult. Flourishing means getting on
with the things that are important for you to do, exercising your capacities,
actively trying to ‘realise’ what you care about and bring it into life.

But
these activities involve anxiety, fear of failure and setbacks, as well as a
sense of satisfaction, occasional triumphs and moments of excitement.

A good
life is still a life. It must involve its full share of suffering, loneliness,
disappointment and coming to terms with one’s own mortality and the deaths of
those one loves. To live a life that is good as a life involves all this.

Flourishing captures what we actually aspire
to: the best use of our capacities and abilities; involvement in things we take
to be worthwhile; the formation and expression of one’s best self”.

Its a bit of a mouthful and not the sort of cute quote one might tattoo on one's shoulder (unless one is built like the Incredible Hulk, perhaps)(which this one is not). But lovely nonetheless...

Veterinary Ethics: Navigating Tough Cases

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